Synthetic biology aims to design and create novel genetic devices to carry out some desired and well-defined function. For example, micro-organisms may be genetically engineered to improve crop yields, fight bacterial infections, detect pollutants, or convert sunlight into energy. Scientists typically begin with a list of requirements or desired functions of the genetic device to be created and then formulate suitable designs for the proposed device. The design and construction of a genetic device is a difficult task that is typically achieved through trial-and-error, which can be time-consuming and costly. In-silico models can help to improve the design process by allowing a range of designs to be simulated on a computer, before constructing the most promising ones in the lab, saving time and resources.
Some existing formal computer languages and frameworks have allowed the direct assembly of specific DNA sequences from a library of such sequences. However these approaches are limited as they require the scientist to exactly specify the DNA sequences to be used.
The embodiments described below are not limited to implementations which solve any or all of the disadvantages of known computer systems and software tools for creating and designing genetic devices.